


Evermore

by Prince_Ofluff



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, Creature Hannibal Lecter, Fairy Tale Curses, Fairy Tale Retellings, M/M, No Underage Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-06-17 06:28:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15455358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prince_Ofluff/pseuds/Prince_Ofluff
Summary: Once upon a time a fairy king fell in love with a mortal princess. When she turned from his love he cursed all in her line to die young and miserable deaths. Those who bore the dark hair of her chosen suitor seemed to suffer particularly cruel fates.However truth and myth can be distorted over time.Now young prince William's time is beginning to run out and the course of the spell refuses to be altered.And he's not the only one bearing a curse.





	1. In the Beginning

  


  


  


Once upon a time in a far away land there lived a cursed royal family.

A long time ago a young Princess of old with yellow hair and blue eyes happened to catch the eye of a fairy. The fairy was very old and very powerful but in the face of the Princess’s charm and beauty he became a tame suitor.

Years passed and with them their affections for each other deepened. However while the fairy was a ruler in his realm there was little he could offer the humans that they would appreciate. Soon the Princess’s father was considering matches and shortly the Princess was due to wed. The Prince she was to marry came from another Kingdom and he had stormy eyes and wild dark hair. The Princess’s sisters convinced her that this was a better match and soon the Princess left off seeing her fairy suitor and devoted herself to her new husband.

The fairy was beside himself in grief and anger. He did not understand why for humans love was not reason enough to marry. His love soon became tainted and he cursed all in her line to be born alone. No siblings to play with, no brother or sister to share their childhood with, and for them all to die young and miserable deaths.

Soon after the fairy King laid his curse there was a revolt in the Kingdom. The King and Queen were slain and their lone son taken in and cared for by stewards and nurses. Soon the revolution passed and the young Prince took the throne, because of the curse he married before his sixteenth birthday to ensure his line was continued

Over the next hundred years the fairy King’s curse never weakened or wavered. Each heir to the throne was married by their sixteenth birthday and all perished in tragic ways before their twenty first year.

There was one thing that was noticed as the years went on. Heirs that favored the Princess who the fairy loved seemed to have multiple blessings in their lives and their deaths while still tragic were not painful or cruel. Those who favored the Prince who married the Princesses and thus came between the fairy and his bride were cursed to a wretched existence that only ended with misery and death.

And so the spell carried.

But there are parts of a story that over time get lost or changed.

A hundred years is a very long time after all.

 

The day that Will son of Graham and heir of Wolf Trap was born was not a merry one. There was a wicked storm that had all the midwives muttering to themselves as they eyed his mother expectantly. The Queen was overdue to give birth by several days and they could see the torment written on her brow.

Finally the Prince came but he was not met with joyous cheers or happy cries. Instead his mother turned from him and wept when she saw his crown of wild dark hair.

“Bad luck” one of the oldest midwives muttered as she crossed herself eyeing the dark locks. She had delivered this Prince as well as his father before him and she had apprenticed under the midwife who had delivered his father’s father. They each had blond soft hair that had blessed them with an easy life until their deaths. The King had only recently passed before he could witness the birth of his son and the midwife privately thought that he was better off not seeing what fate befell his heir.

The Queen refused to hold her child and she averted her eyes as he was taken to a wet nurse even as he cried and reached for her. She ordered that all of the baby’s belongings be moved to the servant’s quarters and that he be kept from her sight.

The midwives kept their thoughts to themselves but the one that had delivered him, Martha, tucked him in closer to her chest and eased his sobs. “There there little one. So begins your life I’m afraid. Losing your mother’s love is going to be the easiest tragedy for you to bear I fear.”

So the young Prince was raised among the servants and thoroughly ignored by the court. Many assumed because an heir had not been born with dark hair in several generations that he would not be among them long.

His mother soon remarried and though she was a Queen of a rich Kingdom very few sought her hand due to the curse. She herself had been married into the doomed family because while her family had status they had hardly a penny to their name. She had resented her husband all his life for it but bore it well until a hunting accident took him from her.

Now she married into the Verger family. A King and his two children who had been run out of their Kingdom and the rumors regarding the reason were not kind. Yet she had little choice as he still had his fortune and she knew that the court would not be content for her to rule for long. Even the stewards she trusted steered her towards the marriage and soon the banished King became her second husband.

His children were treated every inch the Prince and Princess they were.  His youngest child Mason was a cruel boy and soon the servants knew not to be caught alone with him for any reason and to watch animals around him. He was especially pitiless to his new step brother and the King and Queen did little to stop him.

The Princess was kinder but only when she could be. Margot did what she could to help ease her new brother’s life but only when they were alone. Before their father remarried she had often carried the burden of her brother’s whims. Though she was older their father always made it very clear who carried his favor.

 

So young Prince William grew. Rejected by his mother, ignored by his step father, tormented by his step brother and given only fleeting scraps of kindness from his step sister and the servants.

A part of him longed for the death he knew the rumors spoke of. If this was his life he wasn’t sure that he wanted it and he knew it was only a matter of time before he was married off to continue the line and then wait for death.

He often sought out refuge in the large forest that bordered the castle. There the animals would welcome him and he learned the secrets that nature had to teach. It became his paradise away from the court and all the misery that waited him there and for awhile at least he could know peace.

It was also there that he met the Wendigo.

  


  


  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we learn of Hannibal's side of the story

 

 

 

For every story there are two sides.

 

 

Once upon a time there was a very powerful fairy King who had been captured by a greedy human who wanted to be a King of his own.

The fairy King was bound in iron which burned his skin and diminished his powers. At first he was confused by the human’s greed for like most fairy folk even he could be bargained with to grant wishes and gifts. Yet as time grew his confusion turned to hatred and his hatred spread to all humans with whom he had contact with.

Save for the human’s son.

When the fairy King refused to grant the wishes until he was given his freedom the man simply locked him away and went on to other schemes. One day the man’s son found the fairy and brought him honey and cream and bread to eat. At first the fairy King hated this human just as he did his father, but soon he learned the man was just as cruel to his son. Often the boy carried marks or bruises that spoke of his ill treatment but never did he ask the fairy for anything.

Often the boy would mourn over the fact that he was not strong enough to undo the iron that burned the fairy and he would wash the wounds with water from a stream unaware that by caring and feeding the fairy he was helping the King regain his lost strength.

Then the man remembered the fairy and thought that he might be bargained with now that he had languished for years. He was foolish and loosened the iron around the fairy to tempt him with relief from the pain. If the fairy had indeed been left alone for all those years he would have been helpless; but he had been bathed by a pure stream and fed sweet things and so he killed the man the instant the bindings around him were loose.

He found the boy and offered him a single wish that would be granted for his kindness to the fairy. The boy had grown up alone and unloved and he told the fairy that all he wanted was a family. A wife to love him and children of his own to raise in a happy and comfortable home.

The fairy thought that the wish was simple enough and so promised the boy that when he met the woman he wanted to make his wife all he needed to do was summon him by name and he would come and bless the match.

Years passed and the King returned to his realm and for a time all was forgotten between the two. The boy learned a trade and earned a good living in his own right managing his own shop. Then one day when the princess of the kingdom came of age she visited the market where he had his stall and the second he laid eyes on her his heart was lost.

He remembered the promise of the fairy king and that night he called him and bared his wish.

In their years apart the boy had grown in to a man. He had wild dark hair and stormy eyes and the fairy was amused to think of the boy’s father who so desperately wanted to be king and the simple wish his son carried for a family.

The fairy King kept his word and blessed the match. The next day when the princess returned to the market she saw the young man and her heart was won as he offered her a bouquet of flowers and a promise to love her until the end of her days.

Her father however wanted a good match for the kingdom and demanded a large show of wealth from the young man. He was well enough on his own but had no riches to offer for a princess. Dismayed he returned to his work and tried to put the love for the princess out of his mind.

When the fairy King returned and saw that the boy had not yet wed he questioned if the wish was not fulfilled.  When he explained the king’s demand the fairy was reminded of men and their baseless greed. He promised the boy he would grant him riches to give the king and win the princess for his own.

Jewels meant nothing to the fairies and so dozens of them appeared for the boy. He took them at once to the castle and was welcomed warmly among the court and soon he and the princess were wed.

The fairy King was interested in the fate of the boy who saved him and so watched over him. Though he had given his blessing on the match the pair were truly in love. Soon they were crowned King and Queen and during this time there started to be discontent among the court. For the boy had been raised as a simple tradesman and so most of the ruling fell to the Queen. She was wise and just and had little patience for flattery or empty promises. Yet they were happy and the court was content and soon the Queen was with child.

The boy never forgot what the fairy King had done for him and so invited the fairy to the child’s christening.

When the day came and the fairy King appeared the court was cast in awe and suspicion. The fairy King paid no mind and was going to bless the child when jealous nobles of the court accused the queen of witchcraft. Their malcontent had been festering for years and at this first sight of strangeness looked to finally remove her from power.

The king tried to make peace and explain but it was too late. The greed and envy in the court ran deep and the King and Queen were betrayed. When the boy saw the members of the court arming themselves with iron he begged the fairy King to run before he was captured.

Remembering his years bound in iron the fairy King had no choice and returned to the woods from which he came.

 

When he had gathered his strength and returned he found the king had been killed defending his wife and child. The court in their madness had become convinced that the child was a changeling and the queen was slain with the child in her arms. The fairy King gently removed the baby before bringing it to the stewards who would care for and protect the child.

It was on that day he realized that he had fallen in love with the mortal boy whose life had been harsh and unfair. The boy who had given a captured fairy and all that he could and asked for nothing in return save a family he could love and care for. That had been taken and tainted by humans and the fairy King remembered his old hatred.

He swore that all in the boy’s line would be blessed with good fortune unless human greed touched their hearts. A blessing and a curse in one spell. Then he changed his form to that of a Wendigo and allowed his grief to consume him.

As the years passed his spell kept true. All those born in the line were given many blessings but as they grew older soon the temptations of the court would find them and one by one they all fell. The fairy King could not forget his love of his boy and so when a child was born with his wild locks and stormy eyes the King could not bear to see the child and their lives were not as blessed. Over time it was taken that those with the dark hair were ill fated moreso than their fairer counterparts.

Soon human cruelty which is stronger than any curse or spell and needs even less effort created a curse of its own for those bearing the features of the boy.

When each dark haired child passed the fairy King would feel remorse for his neglect and he would try to atone for it by lavishing blessings on the other children who soon fell into temptation themselves.

 

A hundred years passed this way, a wayward spell, human pettiness coupled with greed, and a broken hearted King.

Then one day young prince William wandered into the forest and found a Wendigo.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter the real story starts! Thank you all for reading and your support!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm ALIVE finally an update my friends! Thank you all so much for your patience and support I hope you enjoy it!

 

 

 

“Are you hurt?”

 

The soft words were like a memory from the past and Hannibal lifted his head from the iron trap that held him in place.

 

A boy, young by the curve of his face and the shortness of his limbs, far younger than most human children left to wander alone. He snorted and turned his face away. He did not miss the dark curls or the blue eyes. His form was monstrous and he waited for the child’s courage to fail him.

Instead after a few moments passed there were small hands tugging on the sharp teeth digging into his black paw and Hannibal turned sharply to see the boy desperately tugging on the lever. The coppery scent of blood mixed with the tang of iron and Hannibal realized the child was hurting himself in an effort to help him.

Again the past was a ghost lingering in the back of his mind. Another boy, another iron cage, and blood.

“Enough.”

The small face turned up to him, obviously startled to hear him talk. This form often gave men the impression that he was a mindless best and most often that suited his purposes fine. “It would be better if you took a branch and used it to lever the jaws open.”

The boy nodded and ran to find a branch for his purposes. He returned shortly and with Hannibal’s guidance he managed to force the latch open and he was freed.

He grew to his full height now that he was no longer crippled by the iron. He stood as tall as five men, his form pitch black and the antlers rose high on his head in a crown that would have touched the branches of the tallest trees if they didn’t melt out of the way of his approach.

He looked down at the child and saw that he had fallen back in surprise but did not run. Curious. And foolish. “You have my thanks child. What is your name?”

The boy looked him over before he managed an answer “Will… of Wolf Trap. Are you king of the forest?”

A tale, an old one. The young one must have someone then who told him these things and so wasn’t alone in the world after all. Only neglected.

“This forest has no king and if it did it would not be I.” Hannibal said simply. Nature would be ruled by no creature that came from her bounty, be they fey or mortal. Instead when he moved through he was acknowledge like one monarch to another, equals between two forces.  “It was my impression that humans thought these woods were occupied by monsters and goblins. Creatures that would kill a man as soon as he trespassed. Has enough time passed that those stories no longer carry or were you simply lost?”

It had been a long time since he talked with a mortal. It was easy to miss the passing of ages.

“No I thought I would die if I came into the woods.” The answer was simple and honest and staggering.

Hannibal lowered his arm and lifted him up so he could see him better. “Why would you come if you thought that?”

The boy looked at him for a long time and Hannibal saw ages in those eyes. “My brother said everyone would be happier if I just died already. I’m supposed to anyways, people die every day so I didn’t think I would wait very long but I thought if I had to die I would like it to be outside with the trees and the birds.”

Humans and their cruelty. Hannibal supposed he should no longer expect better of the mortals that soiled every good thing they touched. Tainted every light until there was nothing but darkness left. “Your brother is unkind.”

Will’s laugh startled Hannibal. It was bright and chased the birds from the trees. “He is mean. Mean to everyone. It’s just they don’t mind it so much when he is mean to me.” Will shrugged and there was a bruise on his neck that the motion revealed.

“Why do you believe you are supposed to die? Are you ill? Why does no one stop him from hurting you?”

Will hummed “I’m cursed; I’m supposed to have a lot of ill luck and then die not long after I marry. Father says I can marry in a few years. Tradition is sixteen but he’s impatient. Mother mourns over someone being forced to marry me like she was forced to marry my real father.”

 

Astounding.

“Then young Will I promise you are welcome in these woods as often as you like. Neither your brother nor any mortal will be able to follow you past the outer barrier. You need only cross it and call my name and I will come to you.  A boon in return for the favor you have done for me this day.”

Will smiled “Then I guess I’m not so unlucky after all.”

Hannibal found his own lips curving in a way they had almost forgotten. “No I suppose not. Tell me have you eaten?”

 

 

From that day forward Will spent nearly every day in the forest and if Hannibal was not able to visit him the animals and other creatures kept him company. He was given fresh berries and plants to eat. Every day he would leave as the sun began to set and Hannibal found himself watching him go with a longing he had never experienced before. He told the torments of his memory to leave him be and he watched over Will as best as he could.

He did give Will blessings outside of the forest. He knew it was his own spell that had affected Will’s life but he could not understand how it had become so twisted. He gifted him with strength in his limbs, cunning in his mind, a talent for languages and a passion for the arts. All of these were lying dormant within the boy naturally had but they had faltered under the neglect of his family and the supposed tutors that were intended to educate him.

Instead of seeing the gifts Will was continued to be treated with disdain. Especially by his brother who had little intellectual might but seemed to have a natural inclination towards cruelty and manipulation.

When Will was past the forest boarders there was little Hannibal could do to protect him. He would watch as Mason’s cruelty grew as he did. It became a thing so dark and warped that even the Queen commented on it but the King only continued to blindly encourage his son’s supposed ‘antics’.

Hannibal watched and the fires of his ire were slowly stoked and he wondered how long until the prince would follow Will into the forest and what he might do to him once he was within his domain.

Yet Will was very careful and made sure that while the servants knew he went off they kept his secrets well. He would bring back herbs and gifts from the forest to help them and they knew that he was not as cursed as the court might think. Will was protective of the forest and not even his tentative love for his sister allowed him to speak of his strange new friend.

One day when the marks on Will seemed to have an extra bent of cruelty to them Hannibal had enough and decided to see if he could tempt the Verger.

 

“You seem more like your old self.”

Hannibal had been watching the castle as he often did when Will was not with him and he only tilted his head slightly to acknowledge the interruption.

Bedelia had been an intermittent companion during his self imposed exile and he had the vague impression that she was simply curious how this would all play out. She had her own dealings with mortals, all their kind did from time to time. Yet she seemed perplexed by his actions and Hannibal wasn’t sure if he was able to explain them to her himself even if he was inclined.  


All he knew was that everything changed that day when he saw the young king who had once been a poor boy lying on the floor surrounded by blood and his arm outstretched to protect the small family he had so desperately wished for.

 

“Old ways are easy to remember with the right motivation. I have found something to motivate me.” He left it at that as he watched Will trace his path down from the lower chambers of the castle and wind his way down to the edge of the forest. This time however there was a shadow following him that was not there before and Hannibal smiled with too many teeth. “Will you keep him company today Bedelia? I have something that requires my urgent attention.”

 

 

Hannibal watched as Will entered the wood and Bedelia greeted him in one of her favored disguises a white owl. Will greeted her warmly and was permitted to stroke her soft feathers as he talked to her and wandered deeper into the woods with her on his arm. Her golden eyes watched him over Will’s shoulder before turning her attention to her temporary charge.

 

Mason Verger was an embodiment of everything Hannibal loathed about humans. He was slight and wiry an unimpressive man and several years older than Will. His form inclined to blend with the shadows that he liked to lurk in before visiting his devastation. Hannibal smiled as he watched the prince grow in frustration not finding his target and he stepped out of the darkness. “Are you looking for someone?”

Mason turned on him and his eyes went wide as they looked upon Hannibal’s form. Will never found fear in it but then again he saw the world with different eyes than his fellow men. Mason saw his form and he felt fear knowing that there were dark things in the world. Up until now he had thought himself one of those dark things and was only just beginning to realize there were bigger monsters out there.

Hannibal’s sharp teeth glinted in the low light as he reached for the cruel prince.

 

He returned Mason to the edge of the forest bloodied and whimpering. The guards found him long past sundown and carried him to the castle to be tended too but there would be no saving his face. 

Strangely that was one of the few days that Will had returned to the castle before dark. He had waited a long time for Hannibal but when he did not come he had gathered some herbs that he knew the cooks favored and brought them with him. He had spent the day in the kitchens learning how to knead bread and only heard of his brother’s unfortunate accident through gossip and whispers.

He wondered what in the woods could have caused him such harm since he had never seen anything dangerous there in his many visits. He resolved to ask Hannibal the next day if he chose to reveal himself.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! More to come!


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